Photo retrospective of Bethlehem Steel, Sparrows Point

The demolition of the L Blast Furnace at Bethlehem Steel in Sparrows Point recently brought about the end of an era to a Baltimore County icon. The mill was a place where generations of steel making families worked. During its many years of operation The Baltimore Sun has been there to document the company from industry giant to its final collapse. The Darkroom decided to take a look back at some of the memorable photos over the decades.

February 23, 1966 – This picture shows a method of making steel new at the time known as BOF or basic oxygen furnace. Two with a capacity of 200 tons each went into production at Bethlehem Steel Corporations mills at Sparrows Point. Instead of hours they turn out steel in 50 minutes. (Baltimore Sun file)

In 1956 the 4 P.M. shift leaves #1 Clockhouse on way to the parking lot. (Edward Nolan/Baltimore Sun)

October 8, 1939 – A worker at the Bethlehem Steel Company in Sparrows Point. (Baltimore Sun file)

May 20, 1940 – The Sparrows Point Shipbuilding division of the Bethlehem Steel Company with the steel mill in the background. (Robert F. Kniesche/Baltimore Sun)

October 5, 1949 – Bethlehem workers on strike wait in the pay line at Sparrows Point. (Baltimore Sun file)

A moody picture of the Sparrow Point Blast Furnace taken in 1946. (A. Aubry Bodine/Baltimore Sun)

September 8, 1965 – A workman tends one of the blast furnaces at Bethlehem Steel Corporation’s plant at Sparrows Point. Molten iron pours from the furnace as it is banked and drained. (Baltimore Sun file)

October 10, 1939 – An elevated view of the Bethlehem Steel Company’s Sparrow Point plant as pipes spew gases into the air. Photo taken by Baltimore Sun Staff (A. Aubrey Bodine/Baltimore Sun)

October 10, 1951 – A worker in the blast furnace at Bethlehem Steel Co. At the time in the ’50s the Sparrows Point plant in Baltimore County was one of the world’s largest steel mills. (Robert F. Kniesche/Baltimore Sun)

January 20, 1999 – A Bethlehem Steel Sparrow’s Point worker inserts a thermo-coupler into a vessel of molten steel in the basic oxygen furnace. He is standing behind a wall because of the intense heat. (Perry Thorsvik/Baltimore Sun)

February 17, 1999 – Construction in progress of the new mill at Bethlehem Steel at Sparrows Point. (Linda Coan/Baltimore Sun)

September 21, 2000 – Rolls of steel at Bethlehem Steel Corporation Sparrows Point Division’s new $300 million cold sheet mill. At Sparrows Point the facility is known as “The Field of Dreams”. Steel is porous and while the rolls are coated exposure to moisture can work on the outer layer of some rolls depending on the coatings. (Jed Kirschbaum)

September 21, 2000- Tour groups walk through Bethlehem Steel Corporation Sparrows Point Division’s new $300 million cold sheet mill. At Sparrows Point the facility is known as “The Field of Dreams”. (Jed Kirschbaum/Baltimore Sun)

APRIL 9, 2003 – The Bethlehem Steel company at Sparrows Point changed hands as part of a $1.5 billion sale to International Steel Group Inc. At the time the Sparrows Point plant turned out about 4 million tons of steel per year. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

April 9, 2003 – Molten metal heats in the Furnace at Bethlehem Steel at Sparrows Point. At the time the Sparrows Point plant turned out about 4 million tons of steel per year. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

April 24,2003 – An old cart sits next to some rusty lockers in the Bethlehem Steel Plant at Sparrows Point. The company changed hands as part of a $1.5 billlion sale to International Steel Group Inc. (ISG) Its steel mills, including the Sparrows Pint complex in Baltimore County. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

APRIL 9, 2003 – A lone employee enters the massive doorway to the L Furnace at Bethlehem Steel at Sparrows Point. In better days in the late 1950s, Sparrows Point’s mill and shipyards throughout Baltimore’s waterfront, had more than 45,000 employees. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

Feburary 20, 2007 – Mittal Steel Co. was odered to sell its Sparrows Point mill in a ruling by the Justice Department. (Doug Kapustin/Baltimore Sun)

July 22, 2005 – John Cirri, president of USW Local 9477, said at the time workers are trying to make best of the transition from Beth Steel to ISG (International Steel Group Sparrows Point LLC), now to Mittal, the Netherlands-based steel conglomerate. (Chiaki Kawajiri/Baltimore Sun)

March 21, 2008 – Ownership at Sparrows Point has changed hands again. OAO Severstal, a Russian steel company acquired the steel mill in a trust sale. Union leader John Cirri, President of Local 9477 of the USW, and Sparrows Point GM Tom Russo hoped the sale will inject capital into the plant and they can ramp up to full production and create some new jobs. (Andre F. Chung/Baltimore Sun)

January 23, 2013 – A Hilco employee at left, and two bidders chat in the Truck Dock 10 while waiting for the auction bus. This was the first day of a two-day auction by Hilco Trading at Sparrows Point. Items auctioned were tools and machinery used at the former steel mill. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

January 23, 2013 – A security person walks past the “Heppenstalls” (named after the manufacturer) tongs used for picking up steel slabs. This was the first day of a two-day auction by Hilco Trading at Sparrows Point. Items auctioned were tools and machinery used at the former steel mill. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

January 23, 2013 – Machinery is up for auction in the Tin Mill. This was the first day of a two-day auction by Hilco Trading at Sparrows Point. Items auctioned were tools and machinery used at the former steel mill. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

January 28, 2015 – The “L” Blast Furnace began casting iron in 1978 for Bethlehem Steel, and was used by subsequent owners until operations ceased in 2012. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

January 28, 2015 – View near the area at Sparrows Point where workers from Controlled Demolition, Inc. in partnership with MCM Industrial Services, were preparing for the implosion of the furnace. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

January 28, 2015 – Detail of pipes on the “L” Blast Furnace at Sparrows Point as workers from Controlled Demolition, Inc. in partnership with MCM Industrial Services, prepare for the implosion of the furnace. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

January 28, 2015 – Dan Doran, a member of Local 37 working for MCM Industrial Services, looks up at the “L” Blast Furnace and the surrounding area at Sparrows Point . (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

January 28, 2015 – A Controlled Demolition worker checks the detonation lines. Last views of the “L” Blast Furnace at Sparrows Point as workers from Controlled Demolition, Inc. in partnership with MCM Industrial Services, prepare for the implosion of the furnace. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

January 28, 2015 – The top of the “L” Blast Furnace at Sparrows Point as workers from Controlled Demolition, Inc. in partnership with MCM Industrial Services, prepare for the implosion of the furnace. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

January 28, 2015 – Detail of the “L” Blast Furnace at Sparrows Point as workers from Controlled Demolition, Inc. in partnership with MCM Industrial Services, prepare for the implosion of the furnace. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

January 28, 2015 – Malcolm Addison, who worked at Bethlehem Steel for 30 years, stands near the “L” Blast Furnace at Sparrows Point as workers from Controlled Demolition, Inc. in partnership with MCM Industrial Services, prepare for the implosion of the furnace. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

January 28, 2015 – Detail of pipes on the “L” Blast Furnace at Sparrows Point as workers from Controlled Demolition, Inc. in partnership with MCM Industrial Services, prepare for the implosion of the furnace. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

January 28, 2015 – A seagull flies by shortly before the implosion of the “L” Blast Furnace by Controlled Demolition, Inc. in partnership with MCM Industrial Services, the company which has been overseeing the overall demolition at Sparrows Point. The Furnace began casting iron in 1978 for Bethlehem Steel, and was used by subsequent owners until operations ceased in 2012. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

January 28, 2015 – The implosion of the “L” Blast Furnace was completed by Controlled Demolition, Inc. in partnership with MCM Industrial Services, the company which has been overseeing the overall demolition at Sparrows Point. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

January 28, 2015 – The implosion of the “L” Blast Furnace was completed by Controlled Demolition, Inc. in partnership with MCM Industrial Services, the company which has been overseeing the overall demolition at Sparrows Point. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

January 28, 2015 – The implosion of the “L” Blast Furnace was completed by Controlled Demolition, Inc. in partnership with MCM Industrial Services, the company which has been overseeing the overall demolition at Sparrows Point. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

2 Comments

Pamela Ogletree, daughter of a steel worker
Aug 27, 2015 @
09:31:49

Thank you for these wonderful photos! My father worked at Bethleham Steel in the 50’s and 60’s as did many of the other men in my family and community. I was a young girl then. Viewing these photos gives me a deeper appreciation for their hard work and sacrifice.

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